Shelter in the nick of time

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star - October 26, 2007

With autumn’s frosty chill settling in, Vernon’s homeless will soon have a warm place to go. The provincial government announced Thursday that $249,433 is being provided for two temporary emergency shelters, including one that opens Saturday.“We are getting people inside, which is a great relief,” said Annette Sharkey, with the Social Planning Council, which has been leading the effort for a homeless shelter.A one-time grant of $190,253 will go to the Vernon Women’s Centre to operate a 15-bed shelter at the Salvation Army Church on 32nd Avenue. Operations begin Saturday, with doors opening at 8 p.m.“There is absolutely no shelter for women so it was the priority,” said Sharkey.

The John Howard Society will get a one-time grant of $59,180 to add an additional 12 beds to its existing facility for men on 43rd Street. The new beds will become available Nov. 5.The Women’s Centre is currently finalizing two staff who will work at its shelter, while there will also be support staff at the centre providing drop-in services.“A lot of the women who will take advantage of the shelter, we deal with on a daily basis,” said Juliette Cunningham, chairperson of the Women’s Centre.Planning is also under way for the expanded beds at Howard House. “This funding enables us to help men living on our streets by providing them with much needed access to safe, secure shelter,” said executive director Barb Levesque in a release.For Sharkey, the temporary shelters give service providers time to establish a permanent facility for the homeless.“That is the end goal everyone is working on,” she said.

A potential site has been identified for a permanent shelter, and acquisition details are being worked out by B.C. Housing and the John Howard Society.Any permanent shelter would require renovations before it could be opened, but that could possibly occur in the spring.“The province continues to work with the local community to develop a permanent emergency shelter in Vernon,” said Tom Christensen, Okanagan Vernon MLA.